

You can also see the signal strength of other wireless networks (nearby), which will help you guess how close they are. What else can inSSIDer help me to do?Īmong other things, you can determine the signal strength your Wi-Fi connection and compare it from various locations. 5 Ghz has more non-overlapping channels (and offers higher performance) than 2.4 Ghz. This is one reason why it maybe better to buy routers and clients that support 5 Ghz and use that band for Wi-Fi connections. Interference is a bigger problem in the 2.4 Ghz band. For more info on changing channels, this article might be helpful. If possible, you can ask them to change their channel of operation, as well. If you find two or more nearby Wi-Fi routers operating in the same channel (specified by numbers – 1,2,3, etc.) as yours, change the channel of your Wi-Fi router to a number that is far away from theirs. What can I do after I observe the channel info? This is the reason why it is important to check what channel your router/access point is operating in, AND what channel its immediate neighbors are operating in. This can happen more often than you think because many people don’t change the default channel of operation. Interference happens when two wireless routers/access points (that are nearby) are operating in the same channel. Refer here for more info on Wi-Fi channels. In the 2.4 Ghz spectrum, 2.412 Ghz and 2.417 Ghz are examples for individual channels. In practice, each router/access point associates with all the devices accessing it on a specific frequency or channel, within that spectrum range. But this represents the spectrum or group of channels over which the Wireless AP or Router can work. You might be familiar with 2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz channels, advertised by Wi-Fi vendors. For that, you need a tool to track or scan for all the nearby wireless networks and their wireless channels. But, if you are living in an area where there are many neighboring Wi-Fi networks or if you are experiencing dropped connections and low-speed, you might as well check if the problem is due to Wireless Interference. In many cases, plug-and-play setup might be sufficient. Why should I track my Wi-Fi network? Isn’t it enough if I am able to successfully connect with my Wi-Fi router/AP? This tool is most useful for homes and small businesses that are located in shared premises where many wireless networks overlap, and might interfere with yours. of your wireless network, as well as other neighboring wireless networks in your range.
#Wireless network scanner inssider software
InSSIDer is an open source/free software application developed by metageek that allows you to scan and track the signal strength, channels, security settings, etc. If you are short of time, you can just scan through the highlights (images) below. If you are viewing this post from your mobile or you don’t want to read, you can watch/listen to the below embedded podcast for this post.
